Lever mechanism for belt-shifters.



C. M. HOWG.

LEVER MECHANISM FOR BELT SHIFTERS. APPLICATION FILED oc'nza. 1913.

1,146,166, Patented July 13,1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANCIGRAPH C0..WASH|NGTON. D. C.

c. M. HOWG.

LEVER MECHANISM FOR BELT SHIFTERS.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.28. I913.

1,146,166. Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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CARL MAG-NUS HOWG, OF SISSETON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

LEVER MEGI-IANISM FOB BELT-SHIFTER-S.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed Gctober 2S, 1918. Serial No. 788,157.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL M. Howe, a sub,- ject of the King of England, residing at Sisseton, in the county of Roberts and State of South Dakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lever Mechanism for Belt-Shifters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in belt-shifters, particularly of that class designed for use upon a traction engine either for the purpose of easily and quickly throwing a belt from the driving-pulley, or for the purpose of retaining a belt in position on the driving pulley while positioning a traction-engine in proper relation. to a threshing-machine to tighten the belt, or for the purpose of being swung on either side of the belt to prevent wind-currents from forcing the belt off of the driving-pulley, or for all these several purposes combined.

The primary object of my improvements is to provide a novel and highly useful device whereby such a belt-shifter may easily and readily be attached to and successfully used and operated on any kind or make of traction-engines.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a partial view of. the righthand side of a traction-engine, as seen from a point at the right and front of the engine, illustrating the application of my improvements in belt-shifters. Figs. 2, 3, l, .5, 6, 7,

and 8 illustrate the several sectional or individual parts, respectively, and which, when arranged in proper combination and in proper relation to the boiler and belt of a traction-engine, constitute the improvements.

Referring to the different individual parts of a traction-engine, belt-shifter, and of my improvements, as shown in Fig. 1, reference-numeral l designates the boiler, 2 the driving-pulley, 3 a belt, and i a beltshifter, all being of the usual construction. Further referring to this Fig. 1 and also to the other accompanying figures, the doublearmed bracket 5 is secured to the boilershell 1 by means of two bolts, (1 and a; this bracket 5 is provided with a hole or collar to receive, horizontally, and longitudinally with reference to theengine-boiler, one arm of the post 6; this post 6 is so bent so as to form two arms at right angles to each other, the one arm being of somewhat greater length than the other. According to the de sired relative location of the belt-shifter, as

determined by the distance on any particular engine from the lower run of the belt to the point of attachment of bracket 5 to the boiler, either the longer or the shorter of these arms of post 6 is placed in the hole or collar in bracket 5, and held securely fixed in said bracket collar by means of an impinging set screw 0, the other and free arm of post 6 having first been horizontally disposed, outwardly from the boiler, for the purposes of mechanism' hereinafter described. The bracket-rack 7, particularly shown in Fig. a, is provided with a hole or collar (Z, to receive the said free arm of post 6, and is securely fixed and held in an upright position thereon by means of an impinging set screw c, the upper and lower portions of this bracket-rack 7 are each provided with flanges, which flanges are provided with bearings f and f respectively, for the rotatory reception of the vertical and upwardly-extending post 10, being a part of the usually constructed belt-shifter; the upper part or flange of said bracketrack 7 is also provided with a horizontally disposed portion, theouter edge of which is arc-shaped and provided with notches h, for purposes hereinafter set forth.

The bracket, 8 is provided with a holeor collar to fit on said post 10 immediately above the upper flange of the bracket-rack 7 said bracket 8 being securely held on said post 10 by means of an impinging set screwi, and thus serving to support post 10 as well as other parts of the belt-shifter in turn supported by and operated on post 10; bracket 8 is provided With a horizontally, outwardly-disposed portion, forked at the outer end, and in this fork the dog 9 is hingedly secured by means of a pin j, this bracket 8 is of such length and so disposed as to allow the dog 9 to be dropped and lodged in either of'notchesh, and also to be released therefrom and shifted to any other notch h, in manner hereinafter described, in order to retain the belt-shifter in any desired particular position or to change it to some other. The bracket 11 is provided with a hole or collar Z0, shown in Fig. 6, which fits on said post 10 and is secured thereon at any required distance above the bracket 8 by means of an impinging set screw Z. Bracket 11 is also provided with an oblong, rectangular hole m, to receive one end of the crank arm 12, which is held securely therein by means of an impinging set screw n; this crank 12 extends outwardly, horizontally, and in a direction parallel to the outwardly-extending portion of bracket 8; at its outer end, crank arm 12 is provided with a hole, 0, which said hole is countersunk from both sides and of such shape and size as to permit of the reception and necessary twisting therein of the downwardly-extending end of the operating rod or lever 13. This end of the lever 13, which passes through 0 in 12, has attached to it a small link-chain 14, the other end of which chain is attached to the lower end of the dog 9, already described. The relative dimensions and positions of these various parts are such that when lever 13 is given a twist from the hand-grip end at the rear of the engine, the forward end of this operating rod, which is bent downward and passes through the hole in the crank 12 and to which is also attached the link-chain 14, makes a sweep, tightening and drawing on said chain, and thereby lifting and releasing the dog 9 from its lodgment in any particular notch h. The lever 13 is sustained in this twisted position while being either pushed forward or pulled rearward in order to move the crank 12 the one way or the other, as desired; and with the movement of this crank the post 10, to which it is secured, rotates correspondingly, thus swinging the entire belt-shifter. The operating lever 18, from its point of contact with crank 12, extends rearwardly, and is of such length that its rear or handgrip end is within easy reach of a man standing on the rear platform of the engine. The rear end of this lever may, without resort to any special attachment, repose on any convenient brace or portion of the rear end of the engine.

It is understood, with reference to a belt shifter, of usual construction and such as is herein contemplated, and as illustrated in Fig. 1 (reference-numeral 4), that this beltshifting and guiding apparatus is supported by and operated on a horizontally disposed arm of post 10; that this apparatus is provided with parts and devices so that, first, for the purpose of retaining the belt in place while positioning an engine in relation to a threshing-machine, this apparatus may be clasped over the lower run of the belt, as shown by 4, position 00; second, for the pur pose of throwing the belt from the drivingpulley, the roller portion may be placed in a vertical position on the inner side of the lower run of the belt, as shown by 4, position 3 and a man on the rear platform of the engine may then grip the lever 13, release the dog 9, in manner aforesaid, and by pushing on the lever the crank 12 will be partially swung around, the post 10 turned,

the belt, as shown in 4, position y, if the wind-currect is from the right, or the roller may be lifted over the belt and placed in a corresponding position with reference to the outer edge of the belt, to guard against windcurrents from the opposite direction.

From the above description and the accompanying drawings, it will clearly appear that if the beltshifter is kept in readiness for use as shown by 4, position 1 a man on the rear platform may, without any loss of time and without waiting for the engine to slow down, grip the lever and operate it so as to throw the belt off of the driving-pulley. It will likewise appear that for the purposes other than to throw the belt oil of the driving-pulley, the belt-shifter may be operated or adjusted by a man standing on the ground near the shifter. By reaching up he can by hand release the dog 9 from its lodgment in any particular notch, and while thus released he may also more or swing the belt-snifting apparatus into the required position, that of either retaining the belt in place while positioning the engine or sustaining it against wind-currents; after adjusting this apparatus he will then again drop the dog 9 back into the suitable notch.

From the foregoing description, taken in said post, a bracket 8 adapted to rest upon the upper flange of said bracketrack and to support thereon said journaled post, a crank arm secured to said journaled post, an operating rod or lever, adapted to be operated from a distance and to act upon said crank arm, a bracket 5, adapted to be secured to the boiler shell of an engine, and a reversible angular arm 6, adapted to be attached to said bracket 5 and for the mounting thereon or" said bracket-rack; all substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in a belt-shifter and guide, of a vertically journaled post, a bracket rack, adapted for the reception of said post and provided with an upper notched flange, a bracket 8, adapted to rest upon said upper flange and to support thereon said journaled post and provided with a hingedly depended dog, adapted to lodge in or be released from any particular notch in said upper flange, a crank arm secured to said journaled post, an operating rod or lever, adapted to be operated from a distance and to act on said crank arm, a small link-chain 14, adapted to be attached at one end to the lower end of said dog and at the other to the forward end of said lever, a bracket 5, adapted to be secured to the boiler-shell, and the angular arm 6, adapted to be attached to said bracket 5 and for the mounting thereon of said bracket-rack; all

substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, in a belt-shifter and guide, of a vertically journaled post, a bracket rack, adapted for the reception of said post and provided with an upper notched flange, a bracket 8, adapted to rest upon said upper flange and to support thereon said journaled post and provided with a hingedly depended dog 9, adapted to lodge in or be released from any particular notch in said upper flange, the same being adapt' ed to be operated from a distance, a bracket 5, adapted to be secured to the boiler-shell, and the angular arm 6, adapted to be attached to said bracket 5 and for the mounting thereon of said bracket-rack; all substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

EARL MAGNUS HOVVG.

Witnesses:

ALMA Hows, OLAI STAGEBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

